Las Vegas: The Strip

So this is part 3 of my 4 part record of my Vegas adventure. It’s going to focus mainly on shows, but lots of the shows don’t permit photography so there aren’t too many pictures to look at. Sorry.

I’m starting at the Mirage, which I believe was the first hotel on the strip. Some clever chap noticed people driving from LA to what is now downtown and thought “If I build my hotel and casino here folks won’t have to drive so far”. That hotel became the Mirage which is where this post begins, with the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.

Siegfried and Roy were a pair of magicians who did a lot of work with exotic animals until one show where one of the tigers bit Roy’s neck in an apparent attempt to carry him to safety. In any case, at Roy’s request the tiger was not harmed, but the incident led to the show closing, and what is left is an animal sanctuary and dolphin enclosure. The sanctuary is pretty small, but the dolphins really were amazing, so here is a picture:

Dolphins at the Mirage

We saw a fair few shows whilst in Vegas. At the Luxor (shaped like a pyramid) we saw Carrot Top’s show “worth the trip”. Carrot Top is a prop comedian and I wasn’t really sure what to expect but was actually hilarious. I was laughing out loud until my ribs ached. I would definitely recommend that.

Outside Caesar’s Palace we saw a close up circus show in a very intimate little tent. The show was called Absinthe and the stage, at the centre of the arena must have only been a couple of metres wide. The ring master character was very crude but funny, and the acts were amazing. I was particularly impressed when one guy standing upright balanced another guy, who was upside down using only their necks. If you’re trying to figure that through in your head and it just sounds impossible then stop, because what you’re imagining is probably right. Also outside Caesar’s Palace we met a guy dressed like the guy from the hangover, presumably outside because the hotel isn’t pager friendly.

We also went to see Ka, which is a Cirque De Soleil show at the MGM Grand. It told the story of a power struggle between two nations, and a pair of royal twins who were separated from each other. There were tonnes of amazing acrobatics but the star of the show was the stage itself, which, suspended on some really heavy duty looking hydraulics could move to all sorts of angles. It could be flat and covered in sand one minute, and then shift all the way to vertical (tipping the sand off as it went). Another great feature was that it also formed a projector screen, which meant that when a member of the cast fell into water the actor seemed to be tracked, and bubbles were projected in the wake.

Back to the Mirage, but this time at night where now and again you can see a volcano erupt. This is one of a host of free shows put on by the casinos and shopping centres.

Volcano on The Strip

We saw a volcano erupt. We saw a pirate ship sailing down the strip, and we heard thunder, saw lightning and felt rain during a rainstorm inside a shopping centre but by far the best of the free shows was the infamous fountains at the Bellagio. These shows run fairly frequently and are choreographed to music that changes each time, so there’s a lot of repeat value. I think we watched them four or five times. This is a must for any Vegas experience. At night the lights really add to the overall effect, and they go really, really high too!